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For those about to be affected by Hurricane Irma...

....I'm sure many of us have been monitoring Hurricane Irma, now a Category 5 storm with sustained winds up to 185mph, with the potential to hit up to 225mph. Current projections show that Irma will likely strike right up Florida, and the inner areas of the East Coast. Personally, I have been hoping and praying that the storm would somehow take a nice, sharper Northern turn right up into the sea towards cooler waters where it could just die out. (I'm no meteorologist so I'm not fully versed in hurricane development.)

For any of our friends who live ANYWHERE in Florida, please be safe, do check in when and where you can. Take every precaution, keep your families and people safe....get the hell out of there if you can. My thoughts and prayers are with you, and with any about to be affected by this monstrous storm.

I have no illusions that Louisiana will be completely unaffected. If Irma holds to the models, I am sure that we're gonna catch some flak too. I don't know how severe, but I do not imagine it will be like Florida, again, if projections hold.

All wings, report in!

"It is not so much that I am a smart man, rather that I have simply been accused of having good ideas....on occasion." -Martok2112
"Much of what I know, I don't know half as well as I'd like, and half of what I know is more than deserves to be learned." -Martok2112

Everyone in affected areas of Florida - please evacuate if they tell you to evacuate. Don't be a macho idiot! Irma is not like any storm that has ever hit Florida before (it's BIGGER than Andrew). Safety, safety, safety - much more important than any house! Houses can be rebuilt. YOU CAN'T!

Everyone in affected areas of Florida - please evacuate if they tell you to evacuate. Don't be a macho idiot! Irma is not like any storm that has ever hit Florida before (it's BIGGER than Andrew). Safety, safety, safety - much more important than any house! Houses can be rebuilt. YOU CAN'T!

At the moment, ALL of Florida is an effected area. But there are no mandatory evacuations except in the Keys. Not evacuating isn't necessarily a macho thing. It's a matter of having no where to go. Right now we don't know where Irma will land and even when we do, it can always take a turn literally at the last minute. When Charlie hit in 2005, it was supposed to land in Tampa. People evacuated Tampa and instead it went south. Florida is big, unless you can afford to leave the state there's no where "safe" to go because you just don't know. Inland shelters are open, but if you have pets you're out of luck, and no one wants to leave their pets. Plus the shelters aren't neccesarily any safer then any other building. I'm nervous about the storm, first one in decades that has me nervous, but at present the plan is to put up the storm shudders and ride it out.

At the moment, ALL of Florida is an effected area. But there are no mandatory evacuations except in the Keys. Not evacuating isn't necessarily a macho thing. It's a matter of having no where to go. Right now we don't know where Irma will land and even when we do, it can always take a turn literally at the last minute. When Charlie hit in 2005, it was supposed to land in Tampa. People evacuated Tampa and instead it went south. Florida is big, unless you can afford to leave the state there's no where "safe" to go because you just don't know. Inland shelters are open, but if you have pets you're out of luck, and no one wants to leave their pets. Plus the shelters aren't neccesarily any safer then any other building. I'm nervous about the storm, first one in decades that has me nervous, but at present the plan is to put up the storm shudders and ride it out.

Yeah, I'm not sure the model is still solid, but if it is, be safe and Godspeed.

"It is not so much that I am a smart man, rather that I have simply been accused of having good ideas....on occasion." -Martok2112
"Much of what I know, I don't know half as well as I'd like, and half of what I know is more than deserves to be learned." -Martok2112

Already reading that 30,000 are without power in Southern Florida as Irma's outer bands begin to strike there.
AO, please check in if you can...let us know you and yours are safe.

"It is not so much that I am a smart man, rather that I have simply been accused of having good ideas....on occasion." -Martok2112
"Much of what I know, I don't know half as well as I'd like, and half of what I know is more than deserves to be learned." -Martok2112

At the moment we're fine. The winds are just starting. But this goddamn thing couldn't possibly be landing any closer to me. Shelters are opening and reaching capacity within hours. I have the house boarded up but I'm still debating setting up a safe room or going to my brother's house.

I'll try to check in tomorrow before it hits but I imagine (best case scenario) I'll be without power or internet for a while.

Glad you're alright so far, AO. Please continue to be so. Prayers for you and yours.

"It is not so much that I am a smart man, rather that I have simply been accused of having good ideas....on occasion." -Martok2112
"Much of what I know, I don't know half as well as I'd like, and half of what I know is more than deserves to be learned." -Martok2112

Incredible wind right now. And I'm still five hours away from the main part of the storm hitting me. I imagine I'll be losing internet soon so this will likely be my last check-in. My daughter and I are hunkered down. Wish us luck!